Escalation? U.S. Navy Fires Warning Shots At Iranian Ship

Justin wrote about Iranian ships intercepting a U.S. Navy destroyer in the Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf. Now, warning shots were fired on an Iranian ship that came within 200 yards of U.S. Navy ships, with officials saying that they have no clear what Iran’s intentions are with these reckless exercises (via CNN):

A US Navy patrol craft fired three warning shots at an Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps boat Wednesday after US officials said it had harassed that patrol craft, CNN has learned.

Another US patrol craft and a Kuwaiti Navy ship were also harassed in the incident, which took place in the northern end of the Persian Gulf.

At one point, the Iranian boat came within 200 yards of one of the US Navy boats. When it failed to leave the area after the Navy had fired flares and had a radio conversation with the Iranian crew, the US officials said, the USS Squall fired three warning shots. Following standard maritime procedures, the Navy fired the three shots into the water to ensure the Iranians understood they needed to leave the immediate area.

You would think they wouldn’t be so brash after we paid them $400 million, right?